Airbus jumbo to make inaugural Qatar flight
AN AIRBUS A350-900 aircraft will be flown on the inaugural flight between Wales and Qatar next month.
The first scheduled service between Cardiff Airport and the Middle East, with the Qatar Airways service to the hub airport of Hamad International Airport in Doha, will make its maiden voyage on May 1.
The wings for the A350-900 were made at Airbus’ huge wingmaking factory at Broughton, Flintshire.
Following the inaugural flight a Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be used on the daily route with a capacity for 254 passengers, of which 22 seats will be in first class.
The one-off Airbus aircraft flight will have capacity for 283.
Group chief executive of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker, said: “The launch of our new service to Cardiff is a major milestone for Qatar Airways.
“It makes sense that the inaugural flight that welcomes Qatar Airways to Wales is on the A350-900, as the wings of this very plane are built at the Airbus plant in Broughton, north Wales.
“The new service will connect the Welsh people with more destinations globally. We look forward to welcoming our new passengers on board and to connecting them to Doha and points beyond.”
Chief executive of Cardiff Airport, Deb Barber, said: “On behalf of the team at Cardiff Airport, I am immensely proud that world-class airline Qatar Airways has recognised the potential that exists within the region and chosen Cardiff Airport to operate a regular service to Doha from May 1.
“The service opens up a world of connectivity for our customers in Wales and South West England to destinations across Australia, New Zealand, Africa, Asia and beyond.
“I am also very excited that Qatar Airways has chosen to mark the inaugural flight with the use of the A350-900.
“This is fantastic recognition of the aircraft’s links with Wales and the engineering prowess that we have here, and we very much look forward to welcoming this stunning aircraft to Cardiff Airport as part of the huge celebration when the new route begins in just a few weeks’ time.”
The airline is not providing figures on ticket sales on the route to date.
Qatar will provide new capacity for 150,000 passengers a year, as well as significant freight capacity for Welsh exporters, at around 10 tonnes a flight.
The airline is targeting a catchment of 6.4 million people in south Wales and the south west of England.